Argentina line up Sabella to replace Maradona at helm Argentina boss

Sabella would be replacing Diego Maradona, who left the post on Tuesday when he failed to secure a new contract.

Estudiantes official Sergio Neveleff fears tomorrow's friendly against Sheffield United - where Sabella played between 1978 and 1980 - could be the 55-year-old former midfielder's last game as coach of the Buenos Aires club.

"As a fan and a member of the club, I hope not," said Neveleff. "We were confident that Alex would be our manager for a long time, but now we are affected (by the national team situation]. In Argentina, being the national team coach is the most wanted position."

Meanwhile, Uefa has rejected an appeal by debt-ridden Spanish club Mallorca against exclusion from the Europa League.

Uefa's appeals body judged that Mallorca did not meet entry rules, even though the Spanish federation had earlier granted it a licence to play in Europe's second-tier club competition.

Mallorca said on their website that they will appeal Uefa's decision at the Court of Arbitration for Sport after they receive the full grounds for the ruling. It hopes to take its place in next Friday's play-off round draw.

Mallorca have questioned why they were punished by UEFA when other clubs with financial problems were given a licence for European competition, claiming that Spanish champions Barcelona have debts of ?450 million.